Noob reg questions

[somewhereinla]

Well, think of it this way: If you were going skydiving would you buy the cheapest parachute? The regulator is what keeps you alive underwater...

[awap]

Unless you decide that diving is not for you, it is quite unlikely that this first regulator will be your last. I'm a fan of going with adequate performance, reliable, and inexpensive for the first reg. You might find some good buys in used regs as dive shops turn over there training stock. And when you finally decide which of those big buck high performance regs will be next, that first reg can be relegated to your save-a-dive kit where it will insure you never miss a dive due to regujlator problems.
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<DIV>OTOH, if money is not an issue, there is an excellent fleet of top-of-the-line regs out there to choose from. Might as well get one or two of them.</DIV>

[cummings66]

The most expensive product does not mean the best. Sometimes it's all flash and bang, i.e. the titanium regs for example. A solution in search of a problem.
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<DIV>What you need to do is to find a name brand you can trust, i.e. choose a brand that's commonly used in your area and then research the models choosing one that fits in with your dive requirements.</DIV>
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<DIV>For example, if you dive cold fresh water lakes then you'd want an environmentallysealed reg that's not prone to free flows. For example the Blizzard and TX50 comes to mind as common regs around here. There are others.</DIV>
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<DIV>If you dive warm waters then you could choose something else. Do you dive in muck, again a sealed reg is best.</DIV>
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<DIV>See, that's the tree you need to climb. The most expensive reg may not be needed for your diving requirements. Don't waste money, buy the best reg you can afford that meets your requirements, choose something with local support.</DIV>

[CompuDude]

There are two ways to look at it:

1) Start big and buy something that will last you through years, no matter where your diving takes you. Look at top of the line (but no necessarily titanium, since there are issues with o2 you may use later in your diving career); or

2) Start small (or even used), and plan to sell it when (or if) your needs grow to the point where you have a real need for a high end reg. Pretty much all regs from major dive companies will meet your needs for some time to come, in all honestly. But if your diving ever takes you down a technical path, you may end up selling them to upgrade at a later date. If you're cool with that, then option 2 is really no issue.

(I suppose there is also option 3, which is to rent for a while until you are sure of what you want!)

[Vercingetorix]

ST may still have rmaining stoc on the Aeris Atmos Pro regulator. It was $400, but the price dropped to $200 wen the newer verson arrived. This is the reg I have; it has venturi assist and adjustable resistance. Top quality at a cheap price.

[TxHockeyGuy]

Originally Posted by Vercingetorix

ST may still have rmaining stoc on the Aeris Atmos Pro regulator. It was $400, but the price dropped to $200 wen the newer verson arrived. This is the reg I have; it has venturi assist and adjustable resistance. Top quality at a cheap price.

I have the same reg and have been diving it for about a year and a half. The only thing I don't like is it tends to breath a little wet when inverted, other than that it works great and I like that it is environmentally sealed.

[frankc420]

Regardless of what anyone says, you can buy a regulator setup from Scubatoys that's $150+ and it will get you to the bottom and up w/o problems. Oceanic is a good brand and very reasonably priced.

[ertechsg]

Originally Posted by Vercingetorix

ST may still have rmaining stoc on the Aeris Atmos Pro regulator. It was $400, but the price dropped to $200 wen the newer verson arrived. This is the reg I have; it has venturi assist and adjustable resistance. Top quality at a cheap price.

I love mine, reg that is.

[dannybot]

I have an old (2001) Sherwood Brut that I got in a bundle on Ebay, it does okay on shallower dives, but once I get deeper than around 60 ft, or after a long dive, it tires me out. But I got my wife an Aeris Atoms Pro from Scuba Toys. Her reg is great, in fact on my last trip she didn't go on the night dives, so I took hers. Even though it was always the third dive of the day, I felt better after using the Aeris. The difference is the balanced first stage, it breathes better. that model has been discontinued, but the AT 400 is comparable with environmental seal. I would recommend it, but I would not do the Brut again, it is just too tiring to really enjoy myself. Bu

[ScubaJW]

I believe in getting the best reg. No, I don't mean the attractive or flashy kinds. If you really know what are the best regulators out there. For example, Poseidon, Apeks, and etc... are great. Poseidon has been around and known for easier breathe as you go deeper while other cheapo kinds will make it difficult when you go deeper - but that was my experiences. I went from cheapo reg to Poseidon in about a year just because of the easiness of breathing and improve my confidence in reg.